Pearl Couscous Salad
Ingredients
500g cherry tomatoes
1 TBSP of Extra-virgin olive oil, and then more for drizzling and cooking
200g Pearl couscous
1 can (240g) drained chickpeas
Smoked paprika
200 ish grams of cucumber
1 large red onion
100g of feta
Handful of basil
1 tablespoon lemon juice, more if desired
2 garlic clove, minced
Leaves from 6 sprigs fresh thyme, more for garnish
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
Spread the chickpeas on a kitchen towel and pat them dry. Remove any loose skins.
Transfer the dried chickpeas to the baking sheet and toss them with a drizzle of olive oil and generous pinches of salt.
Cut all your tomatoes in half and then take half of them and put them on a baking tray.
Season them salt, paper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Put both the chickpeas and cherry tomatoes in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Half way through go check on them and give them a little stir.
Once the tomatoes and chickpeas are cooked, take the chickpeas and toss them in your favourite spices. I simply tossed mine in some smoked paprika.
Cook your couscous based on its instructions.
Once the couscous is cooked, leave it to the side to let it cool.
In the bottom of a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the lemon juice, garlic, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Add the cooled couscous and toss. Add the remaining raw cherry tomatoes to the bowl with the roasted tomatoes, the chickpeas, basil, cucumbers, and feta.
Top with more fresh herbs (I added basil and a bit more thyme) and a generous drizzle of olive oil.
Season to taste.
